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Breach
Breach is an encounter in High Tide. Enemies * Merfolk (Breach) (100 Gold, 100 XP, 100 Energy, 2 HP) Transcript Introduction The temple doesn't just rise out of the jungle; it's too big, too ominous, too strange with all those unsettling statues. No, this is a building that looms. After a day filled with so much combat and death, the silence surrounding the structure is unnerving. No one rushes to meet you. The building's shadow stretches several hundred feet out into the surrounding jungle, and as you walk in the darkness you can feel a chill settle into your soul. You're clearly not the only one who feels it, there's no wildlife in the immediate area. When you finally approach the edge of the temple, you note the enormous doors in the curtain wall surrounding the building. The crew spreads out, facing the forest and eyeing the trees for any sign of movement while you, Jonas, and Marna warily move to examine the doors. Up close, you realize they're not made from stone with wood banding, as their coloring would suggest. Instead, they're made of petrified wood, with rusted iron bands. That said, the walls look all but impenetrable. Even if the entire group were armed with war hammers, they probably wouldn't be able to make more than a dent. Marna seems to come to the same conclusion, tapping her chin thoughtfully with the head of her weapon as she gazes up at the entrance. After a moment, she cocks an eyebrow and looks to you and Jonas. "I don't suppose we could just knock politely and ask them to let us in?" You shrug. "The only trick up my sleeve that might work is fire, but I don't think that petrified wood will burn." Jonas grins. "Well, I guess we'll have to opt for the trick up MY sleeve." He reaches into one of his pouches and pulls out a handful of spikes with rounded heads, as well as a small hammer. Holding his open palm out towards you and Marna for a better look, you note that the heads of these spikes all have clockwork knobs projecting from the sides. "Towards the end of the War of the Kasan, Master Ingenie developed the first prototypes of these for General Rothbert as a weapon." Jonas's tone is patient and conversational as he methodically drives the spikes into the cracks between the slabs of petrified wood using his hammer. "Once we relocated into his underground cities, he spent several years refining those first designs but they were ultimately too volatile for mining. Still, they have their uses." He twists each of the dials and jogs past you and Marna. "You may want to follow me back to the trees." You and Marna look at each other for a second and then sprint after Jonas, diving for cover behind a large fallen tree a distance from the wall. The rest of the crew follows your example. Safely behind the log, you look over at Jonas. His eyes are closed and he's concentrating on something. You screw your own eyes shut, and after a moment you hear it. There's a faint ticking sound, growing steadily louder. Tick tick tick tick, a second of silence, ding. And then, everything goes white, even behind your eyelids, and there's a concussion of sound followed by what sounds like hail. When it stops, you blink a couple of times and peek over the top of the log. The doors, and several feet of wall to either side, have been demolished. Slivers of petrified wood are embedded into the ground in all directions and lodged into the trees. Beyond the wreckage is a courtyard filled with several stunned-looking beastmen and merfolk. A number are sprawled on the earth, unmoving, felled by shrapnel. On the far side of that courtyard, a strange figure looks out from the shadows in the mouth of the temple proper. You nod to Marna and Jonas, who begin making hand signals to the rest of your crew. You count to three on your fingers, and then all of you surge out of the trees as one, pressing the advantage of surprise while you still can. Conclusion As the last of the merfolk warriors fall, you begin to feel something strange in the air. There's an unpleasant thrumming, hot and heavy and unsettling every time you feel it vibrate the air against your skin. It's like standing in the presence of an obscene heartbeat. You turn your head toward the source of the feeling, toward the entrance of the temple building. That strange figure is still standing between the open doors, its glowing red eyes the only definite feature you can make out from the shadows. "Marna and Jonas: With me. Everyone else? Get outside the wall and be ready to murder anything coming out of the courtyard that isn't us." Surprisingly, the crew doesn't question your order. Marna looks over her shoulder at you, wincing a little every time she feels the air pulse. She jerks her head towards the figure in the shadows. "Well?" You keep your weapons out as you walk past her towards the temple. "We might as well go say hello." Jonas' chuckle breaks the tension. Barely. "Well, that would be the neighborly thing to do." Category:High Tide